A team from Glasgow University altered the growth rate of 240 fish by exposing them to brief cold or warm spells, putting them ahead or behind their normal growth schedule.

Researchers noticed the fish got back on track once their environmental temperature was returned to normal but the change in growth rate affected their rate of ageing.

The slow-growing fish lived for around 30% longer than the stickleback's two-year average, with a lifespan of nearly 1,000 days.

The lifespan of the fast-growing fish was 15% shorter than normal.

Professor Neil Metcalfe, from the university's Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, said the "striking" results occurred despite all the fish reaching the same adult size.

"You might well expect a machine built in haste to fail quicker than one put together carefully and methodically, and our study suggests that this may be true for bodies too," he said.

The paper, Experimental demonstration of the growth rate - lifespan trade-off, is published in the latest edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.